


Shepherded

by sartiebodyshots



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-10
Updated: 2016-11-10
Packaged: 2018-08-30 03:34:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8516962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sartiebodyshots/pseuds/sartiebodyshots
Summary: Both Liara and Shepard spend late nights together, doing their parts for the war effort.  Sometimes, a little something has to give.





	

Liara yawns for the fifth time in the last- Shepard checks the clock on her datapad- twenty minutes.  She's been pushing herself to stay up later and later, pouring over the information that her contacts send her to try to find anything useful. 

Of course, Shepard admires her dedication and is equally dedicated.  She has plenty of reports of her own to read, so many that she’s claimed a small corner of Liara’s room as her own so that at least she and Liara can spend some time together.  Who knew that the annihilation of the galaxy could possibly generate so much paperwork?

“Hey,” Shepard says, clearing her throat.  

“Find something?” Liara asks.  

Shepard shakes her head.  “You should go to sleep.”

“I've many more reports to read,” Liara says.

“They can't keep?” Shepard asks. 

“Are  _ you  _ going to bed?” Liara shoots back with a little more venom than intended, judging from the way she cringes.  

Shepard surprises herself by getting to her feet.  Normally, she’d stay up for several more hours, curled up on the floor.  It always reminds her of being a little kid.  Growing up on ships, she had spent hours playing on metal ship floors, and when she got a little older, doing her homework or reading fiction.  Remembering those times makes the long nights a little easier.  As long as she has a ship, she has a home.

But Liara needs her sleep, and she won’t go to sleep if Shepard is still awake.  She wants to take care of the woman she loves, so Shepard will go to sleep.  

“I am,” Shepard says.  “My bed or yours?”

“I like your skylight,” Liara says with a sigh.  

Shepard gathers up her datapads as Liara clicks at her computer to set it running with tasks for the night.  Even when she’s sleeping, she’s working.  And (as Shepard knows from experience) if something critical comes up, Glyph will interrupt their sleep to tell them. 

With sleepiness settling into her bones, Shepard ambles out into the hallway.  In one arm, she has her datapads.  Her other arm is wrapped around Liara’s shoulders; Liara’s arm is wrapped around Shepard’s waist.

Even though it’s late and most of the crew is asleep, there are still a few marines about, standing guard.  They stiffen to attention when they see their commanding officer ambling through, but Shepard also sees their small smiles.  

Usually she and Liara are a little less obviously affectionate when they’re around the crew- close friends excepted- but everyone knows that they’re a couple.  Maybe they find it warming to think about people being able to love in the middle of this war.  Or maybe it’s that thing James said, about marines thinking she’s larger than life, and seeing their commander sleepy with her girlfriend humanizes her.  Especially since they’re both in their pajamas already.

When they reach her bedroom, Shepard deposits her datapads on her desk before feeding her space hamster and fish.  She shimmies out of her pants before adjusting some of the datapads on her desk.  

“Having second thoughts?” Liara asks drly.

Shepard looks up to see Liara sitting on the edge of her bed.  She looks almost expectant, like she knows that Shepard isn’t quite ready to go to bed yet.

“No,” Shepard says firmly before crossing the room and joining her on the bed.

Liara smiles, kissing her cheek.  “I confess, I’m surprised that you’re retiring so early.”

“I figure that this is the only way I can ever surprise you.  Ever since you became the Shadow Broker, it’s gotten harder and harder,” Shepard says.

They lay back in bed together.  Shepard lays on her back, staring up at the stars, and Liara lays on her side.  She rests her head on Shepard’s chest and flings an arm over her torso.  It’s become habit for Shepard to hold her just as close.  They’re both painfully aware these days that every day could be their last.  

“Goodnight, Shepard,” Liara murmurs.

“‘Night, Liara.”

It takes them both a long time to fall asleep.

* * *

Liara wakes up a few hours later.  She keeps thinking about Shepard in the mech, submerged under so much water.  If Cortez had been even a little wrong about the strength of the mech’s armor, she would have been crushed under the water pressure.  Even though Cortez had been right, she still could have easily died.

Sometimes, she dreams of Shepard being crushed.  Other times, it’s the feeling of Shepard’s skin, clammy and wet and frozen under Liara’s terrified touch.  Either way, recent nights haven’t been pleasant.  

There’s still a lot of time before she should get up, but she has so many things to do.  Even though she still feels tired, she starts detangling herself from Shepard.  She’s got reports coming in from operatives embedded on Earth and a Dalatrass needs blackmailing and-

Shepard stirs beside her, looking up at her with exhausted eyes.  It’s so rare that she manages a few more hours of sleep at a time.  

“Time to get up?” Shepard asks, voice gummy from sleep.  

Liara realizes that if she gets up, Shepard will get up, too.  There’s no way to convince her to stay in bed while Liara gets started on her day.  

“I was just going to get some water,” Liara says.  

Shepard frowns at her with sleepy disbelief, but doesn’t seem to be willing to question her.  She’s still awake when Liara returns to bed, cup of water in hand.

Liara sips the water for show before putting it on the end table and laying back down.  She wraps herself back up in Shepard, where she can hear the steady and comforting rhythm of her heart. 

“You weren’t going to get a drink of water,” Shepard says softly, fingers stroking down Liara’s spine.  

“You weren’t going to go to bed that early,” Liara replies, even quieter.  

Shepard laughs a little.  “True.”

“We take care of each other, Shepard,” Liara says.  

Shepard’s fingers curl against her back and she suddenly stills beneath Liara.  Not for the first time, Liara wonders what she’s thinking.  It’s pointless to try to figure it out, though.  She’ll tell her when she’s ready.

“Yeah, we do,” Shepard finally says, relaxing once again.

* * *

Shepard feels like she has to take care of the whole galaxy.  It’s almost startling to realize that Liara takes care of her, too.  


End file.
